RIVERSIDE â" The other day was a most reluctant one for Riverside King senior water polo star Joseph Moorman.

The media invaded the King pool deck, which meant Moorman missed what he regards as precious pool time â" fewer minutes to prepare for his obsessive goal of winning a section title.

âHe said to me âCoach, how long is this going to take? How much time am I going to miss?ââ a smiling Wolves coach Kevin Rosa said of Moorman. âAny other kid would have been happy not to have to work so hard. I just told him âJoseph, just do whatever they want.ââ

True to his nature, the 6-foot-3 goalkeeper was gracious and pleasant, though he did reveal a driven side.

âWe have a good team this year, rather than just one player,â Moorman said. âIn the past weâve had a lot of talent, but werenât always able to put it together. Last year we were able to put it together and won a league title. This year we want to be CIF champs.â

King is off to a good start, with an 8-1 record headed into this weekâs game against Vista Murrieta. The Wolves are ranked No. 1 in CIF-Southern Section Division 3 after knocking off such heavyweights as No. 4 Montebello (15-6) and No. 5 Tesoro (13-7).

Moorman is making sure the Wolves stay on task.

Plastered on the door of the King team room are a number of inspirational messages that seem to be the work of a coach, but arenât.

Says one: âTHIS IS OUR YEAR. YOU GOING TO GET ON THE BALL, OR LET IT SLIP BY?â

And another: âWHO IS GOING TO STOP YOU â¦ Montebello, Palos Verdes, Tesoro. OR IS IT YOU?â

âThis is all Joseph,â said Rosa, pointing at the messages. âHe did all this.â

While Moorman takes care of the rhetoric, it was Rosa who planned a three-day, team-bonding trip to Big Bear in August that included work both in and out of the water.

âIt was the coachâs idea and I loved it,â Moorman said. âWe stayed in a cabin and we talked about our goals and got mentally prepared. Now weâre off to Kingâs best-ever start.â

Speaking of starts, Moormanâs introduction to polo was not stellar. Following in the footsteps of his older sister Kristin and mother Patricia (both college swimmers), Moorman tried polo in the sixth grade but was miserable and â" as he put it â" âcried my eyes out every day.â

âI was getting tossed around by older kids who I thought at the time were really big, but probably werenât,â he said. âI wasnât ready.â

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